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Eurostar, the company that operates train services between Great Britain and the European mainland through the Channel Tunnel, will start a new service between London and Amsterdam in April. The company has said that the new route is another step towards connectingmajor European capitals to the UK by rail.

Trains will travel twice a day between London and Amsterdam via Brussels and Rotterdam. The journey will take about three hours and 40 minutes.

Eurostar will offer tickets starting at £35 one-way, which is expected to compete with cheap budget airlines on the route between London and the Dutch capital.

The service especiallytargets businesspeople who prefer comfortable foot space and WiFi. In addition, Amsterdam has become increasinglypopular among UK tourists. Over 4 million passengers travel between London and Amsterdam, one of Europe’s busiest air routes, every year.

Travel between the UK and Western Europe has increased strongly in the last two decades. Since the start of Eurostar services in 1994, the number of travellers between London andParis, Eurostar’s first route, has doubled.

While passengers leaving London will be able to travel to Amsterdam without interruption, travellers from Amsterdam to London will be required to undergo passport and security checks in Brussels. This is only a temporary measure and only should only last until the end of 2019.

Eurostar high-speed train – Image: Kabelleger / David Gubler

Words

budget airlines = airlines that offer cheap tickets, but not as many services as other airlines do

capital = the most important city in a country; where the government is

compete = here: to be able to attract as many passengers as airlines do

connect = link together

decade = ten years

double = to be twice as much

especially = above all

foot space = room for your legs when you sit

in addition = also

increasingly = more and more

interruption = to stop something

mainland = the European continent, without the islands that belong to it

major = very important

measure = law, action

offer = sell

one-way = only to a destination; not back again

operate = here: to run a service

popular = liked and well-known

prefer = like

require = need to; must

security check = here: officials check your passport and see that you don’t bring anything illegal into a country

A new test, conducted by scientists from the State University of New York, shows that bottled water has microplasticparticles in them.
250 bottles of water from nine different countries were examined. More than 90% containedtiny pieces of plastic. Sometimes concentrations were as high as thousands of plastic pieces per litre of water. Only 17 examined bottles were free of plastic. On average, 10 plastic particles, about the width of a human hair, were found in each litre of water.
The companies, whose bottled water was examined, claim that their production met the highest quality standards. In most cases, the plastic gets into the water through the packaging process.
Although the results are not catastrophic scientists and doctors are concerned. However, they state that there is no proof that the smallest particles of plastic can cause damage to your body. Most of it is turned into waste which leaves the body through faeces.
Apart from bottled water, plastic particles have also been found in beer, tap water, seafood and even in the air.
Bottled water is the fastest growing beverage in the world. Currently, about 150 billion dollars worth of water is sold worldwide. Packaged water is especially important for millions of people around the world who do not have access to safe drinking water.
Bottled water – Image by Ravitave
Words

access = the ability to get something

although = while

beverage = hot or cold drink

bottled water = drinking water that is sold in a bottle; sometimes it has bubbles in it

claim = to say that something is true

concentration = the amount of something in a liquid

concerned = worried

conduct = carry out

contain = to have in them

currently = at the moment, now

especially = above all

examine = to test or look at somehting very closely

faeces = solid waste that leaves your body after a certain time

microplastic particles = very very small pieces of plastic

packaging process = the method used to put water into the bottle

proof = facts that show something is true or correct

quality standards = level of quality a company accepts in its products

safe = clean

scientist = a person who is trained in science and works in a lab

state = to say officially

tap water = water that comes naturally from a tap rather than a bottle

Stephen Hawking, world-famous British physicist, died at the age of 76 at his home in Cambridge, England. The scientist became famous for his work on black holes, relativity and quantum mechanics.
In his most famous discovery, Hawking showed that black holes leak a bit of energy, known as Hawking radiation and then shrink and evaporate.
At the age of 22, Stephen Hawking was diagnosed with ALS, a rare disease of the nervous system. At that time doctors gave him only a few years to live. However, Hawking proved them wrong and fought bravely against his illness. He spent most of his life paralyzed in a wheelchair and was only able to speak through a voicesynthesizer.Hawking was not only a professor at Cambridge University until 2009, but also a popularcelebrity who appeared in TV shows like the Simpsons, and the Big Bang Theory. He also wrote a bestselling book about the mysteries of the universe called A Brief History of Time, which sold more than 10 million copies worldwide. His early life was dramatized in the 2014 film “The Theory of Everything“, which received severalAcademy Award nominations.
Because of him, many ordinary people got interested in physics and the universe. Scientists, politicians and other experts around the world praised Hawking as a person with a brilliant and extraordinary mind.
Stephen Hawking

Words

Academy Award = an Oscar

black hole = an area in space into which everything near it, including light, is pulled

bravely = with a lot of courage

brilliant = extremely clever and intelligent

celebrity = famous person

diagnosed = to find out what illness someone has

discovery = finding something for the first time

evaporate = here: disappear slowly

extraordinary = great and impressive

however = but

leak = a hole that lets something through

mind = your thoughts and ability to think

nervous system = your brain and nerves in your body; it controls what you feel and how you move

ordinary = normal, like you and me

paralysed = unable to move or feel all or parts of your body

physicist = a scientist who has special knowledge of physics

politicians = people who work in the government, parliament or for political parties

popular = well-known

praise = to admire and approve of someone

quantum mechanics = the scientific study of the way atoms and smaller parts of things behave

radiation = form of energy which may be dangerous in large amounts

rare = something that does not exist very often

receive = get

relativity = the relationship in physics between time, space and movement; the theory was created by Albert Einstein

several = some, a few

scientist = a person who is trained in science and works in a lab

universe = all of space, including the stars and planets

voice synthesizer = a computer system that produces sounds like human speech

SpaceX, a private space transport company owned by American billionaire Elon Musk, has launched the world’s most powerful rocket, the Falcon Heavy. It is the larger version of the Falcon 9 rocket, which has successfully been putting payloads into space for years. The booster is made up of three rocketsstrapped together for combined thrust.
The Falcon Heavy was developed over a period of 7 years and cost about $500 million. It is 23 stories tall and has 27 engines. The rocket’s thrust equals that of 18 Boeing 747 jumbo jets.
The new rocket is designed to send large satellites into earth orbit. It can carry 64 metric tons, twice the payload of other rockets, into space at a lower price. The rocket can also transport spacecraft to destinations further away from earth. In addition, its starting boosters are reusable.
The first flight was set to travel as far as the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. The rocket had an electric sports car, Elon Musk’s privateTesla Roadster, on board.
SpaceX has been flying NASA cargo missions to the International Space Station for a few years. The company wants to compete with other business in carrying payloads to space. Musk’s company has several commercial customers and has been receivingcontracts to fly government payloads. The first manned mission to space is planned for the end of 2018.Falcon Heavy on the launch pad at Cape Canaveral, Florida

Words

asteroid belt = large rocks that move around the sun between Mars and Jupiter

billionaire = person who has a billion dollars, euros etc.. or more

booster = a rocket that gives you the power to leave the earth

cargo mission = here: a trip that carries goods and other products into space

commercial = here: private

compete = be as good as or better than others

contract = an agreement to do a job for someone

design = the way something should work

destination = place you want to go to

develop = to design and create a new product

equal = the same as

in addition = also

International Space Station = ISS = space station that was built by scientists from 16 countries; it is mainly used for scientific experiments

The social media site Twitter has announced its first profit since the founding of the company in 2005. The last quarter of 2017 saw the company making $ 91 million in profits. After the announcement, Twitter sharesrose more than 20%.
Twitter made the profits from an increase in ad sales and from expansion outside the US. Overall revenue has been increasing constantly and is now at $ 731 million, due to a better targetting of ads. While revenue in the US fell, it increased strongly in Japan and other countries.
Currently, Twitter is reported to have over 330 million active users. It has been an important media outlet for celebrities and politicians, especially in the United States, for a long time. However, surprisingly, up to now, the company has failed to make any profits. Business experts have criticized Twitter for failing to grow over the longer term and step out of the shadows of its bigger brother, Facebook.
The company has announced its plans for 2018. It wants to improve the quality of information and tacklesecurity issues, for example, fake accounts and spam. As many as 15% of all accounts on Twitter are said to be controlled by bots.
Twitter headquarters in San Francisco – Image: Runner1928

Words

account = agreement you have with an organisation so that you can use its services or website

ad = advertisement = pictures, text or a short film that persuades people to buy a product

announce = to say in public, officially

bot = computer programme that can control information on a website

celebrity = famous person

constantly = slowly, but all the time

currently = at the moment

due to = because of

especially = above all

expansion = when something increases in size

fail = here: not succeed in doing something

fake = not a real person

founding = when the company started

increase = grow, become larger

longer term = over a longer period of time

outlet = here: organization through which information is presented

overall = total; altogether

politician = person who works in the government, parliament or a political party

profit = the money you for selling things or doing business after your costs have been paid for

reported = it is said that …

revenue = money that a company gets in a certain time for selling products and services

rise – rose = to go up

security issues = problems in which the website is attacked by criminals and hackers

shares = part of a company that you can buy

spam = message that is sent to many different people by email or the Internet, usually as a way of advertising something

Polar bears could become extinct faster than predicted. That is because there is a shortage of food in their habitat and scientists have now found out that polar bears need more energy than previously thought.
As a result of global warming, Arctic ice is melting quickly, so that polar bears have to travel further in search of food. In a study that has spanned the last three years, scientists found out that polar bears have to travel one and a half times more than in the past. As a result, they lose weight.
Experiments conducted with modern technology show how polar bears move and behave. High-tech GPScollars were put on 9 female polar bears. Their movements and energy consumption have been tracked over a period of 12 days. Results show that a few of them lost up to 10%of their weight.According to the World Wildlife Fund, polar bears spend half of their time hunting for something to eat. They rely mostly on young seals as the main source of food, but the seal population is getting scarce because of the melting ice.A polar bear needs about 12000 kilocalories a day to stay healthy and even more to put on the body fat it needs to survive the winter months.
Over the past ten years, the number of polar bears has declined by 40%. Ice on their habitat, Arctic Sea ice is decreasing at a rate of 14% per decade. It is currently at its lowest level in 40 years.Polar bear feeding on a dead seal – Image: AWeith

Words

according to = as reported by …

behave = act in certain situations

body fat = here: the fat an animal needs to protect itself from the cold weather

collar = band of leather or plastic that is around an animal’s neck

conduct = carry out

currently = at the moment

decade = ten years

decline = to go down

decrease = become lower

energy consumption = the amount of energy you need and use up

extinct = to die out and not exist anymore

global warming = increase in the atmosphere’s temperature caused by more carbon dioxide and other gases

further = a longer distance

GPS = system that shows where your position is on earth through a system of radio signals

habitat = natural home of a plant or animal

lose weight = become thinner

melt = when ice turns into water

predict = to say that something will happen before it does

previously = at an earlier time

rely = here: eat

scarce = not very much left

scientist = person who is trained in science and works in a lab

seal = large sea animal that eats fish and lives near coasts

shortage = not enough

source = where something comes from

span = period of time between two events

study = piece of work that is done to find out more about a subect

survive = stay alive

track = monitor, watch closely

World Wildlife Fund = organisation that wants to protect the environment and save animals and plants

The Indian government has announced that 63 million females are missing from its population. About 2 Indian females go missing across all age groups because of abortions, diseases and malnutrition.
As in China, Indian societyprefers men to women. Many families would rather have a son than a daughter. This can be seen in the country’s birth statistics. For every 1,000 males that are born, there are only 940 females, which is much lower than average in many countries. According to population experts, there are about 21 million unwanted girls in India, females whose parents actually wanted a son.
Although testing for the gender of an unborn child is illegal, it still happens in many areas.
In Indian society, not only low-income families in rural areas prefer having a son instead of a daughter. In upper-class families, sons carry on the family tradition or take over the family business. While land and propertypass on to a family’s son, many parents have to pay a fee, called dowry, when their daughter marries.
Social problems also arise in Indian society. Girls are often treated worse than boys. Some families keep on having babies until they get a son. Although the preference for boys in Indian society cannot be ignored, the situation of girls and young women is improving. They are being better educated and have more opportunities in the workforce than decades ago.
Boy in an Indian family – Image: Praveenpaavni

Words

abortion = a medical operation that kills an unborn baby

according to = as said by …

although = while

announce = to say officially, in public

arise = come up; emerge

average = normal, usual

decade = ten years

fee = amount of money you have to pay to someone

gender = being male or female

government = the people who rule a country

ignore = to pay no attention to something

illegal = against the law

improve = to get better

low-income = if you earn very little money

malnutrition = when someone becomes ill or weak because they have not had enough to eat

A human fossil found in Isreal in 2002 now shows that humans may have left Africa up to 100,000 years earlier than originally thought. Researchers spent one and a half decades studying an upper jawbone and stone tools found in a cave in Isreal.
The jawbone was found with teeth that were thought to be between 170 000 and 190 000 years old. CT scans helped to build a 3D model, which researchers then compared with other fossils from Africa, Asia and the Middle East.
The tools found nearbysuggest that prehistoric people were busymakingvariousobjects that they used for hunting animals and gathering. While some scientists say that the tools could only have been made by homo sapiens, modern people, others do not ignore the fact that Neanderthals could also have made them.
Up to now, the oldest fossils found outside Africa were also located in Israel. According toarchaeologists, they were no more than 90,000 to 120,000 years old.
The new discovery also sets back the date at which homo sapiens appeared in Africa. While the current theory says that they originated in Africa 200,000 years ago, we now may believe that they actually showed up between 300,000 and 500,000 years ago. If that is true, then they probably left Africa on short trips to other continents as early as 200,000 years ago.
Skull of a Homo Sapiens – Image: Dr. Günter Bechly

Words

according to = as said by …

appear = show up; start to exist

archaeologist = a person who studies ancient civilisations by looking at what is left of buildings, tools etc..

cave = a large natural hole in the side of a hill or mountain

compare = to look at two or more things and find out the differences between them

CT scan = an examination in which the inside of an object is produced on a computer using x-rays

current = now

decade = ten years

discovery = finding something for the first time

fossil = an animal or plant that lived many thousands of years ago and that has been preserved in rock

gathering = to look for plants to eat

homo sapiens = modern man; the type of human that exists now

humans = people

ignore = pay no attention to …

jawbone = one of the bones that are in your teeth

located = found

Neanderthal = early type of human being who lived in Europe during the Stone Age

originally = at first

originate = come from

prehistoric people = people who lived a long time ago, before anything was written down

researcher = someone who studies a subject in detail in order to find out more about it

scientist = a person who is trained in science and works in a lab

skull = the bones of a person’s head

stone tools = early tools that the first people made out of stone; they were used for hunting, gathering food and making fire

Tennis superstar Roger Federer has won his 20th Grand Slam Title and his 6th Australian Open trophy. In a dramatic match, the Swissman beat Croatian Marin Cilic 6-2, 6-7, 6-3, 3-6 and 6-1. The match went on for over 3 hours with both players being exhausted at the end. It was one of the hottest tournaments ever played on the ATP tour. In some of the matches temperatures reached 40° C (104 ° F).
Federer is the first to win 20 Grand Slam titles. He has won three out of the last 5 Grand Slams. At 36 Federer became thesecondoldest man towin agrand slam title after KenRosewall who won the Australian Open in 1972. In addition, he has become the oldest player ever to climb to the top of the ATP rankings.
The sympathetic Swiss player had the majority of supporters on his side at Melbourne Park. Red and white flags dominated the arena. In a game that went back andforth, Federer’s experience was decisivein winning the final set.
After dominating men’s tennis for a decade, the Swissman’s intermediatedownfall started in 2013 when he lost in the second round at Wimbledon and failed to reach the quarter-finals in the following three Grand Slam events. After suffering from a series of back injuries between 2013 and 2016 Federer made an amazing comeback last year.
Tennis is a sport in which injuries take their toll during the latter part of an athlete’s career. Federer rivals Raphael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, both in their 30s, are also coping with injury problems.
Roger Federer – Image: Tatiana

Words

ATP tour = worldwide series of tournaments for professional tennis players; they take place at the same time every year

back = back part of your body between the neck and legs

back and forth = here: both players took turns winning sets

beat = win against

comeback = here to win again after an unsuccessful time

cope with = deal with

decade = ten years

decisive = here: it is why he won

dominate = here: more than other flags

downfall = here: when you suddenly start losing matches

exhausted = very tired

experience = here: the skill and knowledge you have from winning many difficult matches

fail = did not

Grand Slam = the four most important tennis tournaments = Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon and the US Open

in addition = also

injury = damage to a part of your body

intermediate = here: for a short time in between other phases

latter = last

majority = here: most of the people in the stadium

quarter-finals = the last eight players in a tournament

ranking = position on a list that shows how good you are compared to others

reach = get to

rival = person who you play against

suffer = to be in pain

supporter = person who cheers for you in an event

take their toll = to have a bad effect on something over a longer period of time

tournament = series of matches in which players play against each other until there is one winner

trophy = large object, like a cup or plate made out of silver or gold, that someone receives as a prize for winning a sports event

Coca-Cola, the world’s largest soft drink corporation, is planning to recycle all of its bottles and cans by 2030. The company wants to take on more responsibility and make its contribution to saving our environment. The company sells over 500 types of fizzy drinks, juices and mineral water around the world.
Coca-Cola has announced a campaign called “World Without Waste“. It says that food and beverage companies are responsible for much of the litter that can be found on streets and beaches.
The company said it wants to increase the amount of material that can be recycled in its products. By 2030 Coca-Cola aims at making 50% of all the content in bottles and cans recyclable. It also intends to advise users on how to recycle products best. Coca-Cola plans to worktogether with local governments and environmental groups.
On the other side, Coca-Cola has also stated that that packaging is important because it can reduce the amount of spoilt food and can extend the shelf life of food products.
Greenpeace, one of the most important environmental organisations, has welcomed the move but also said that the company should focus especially on reducing the amount of plastic that is produced. Plastic bottles are a major problem because plastic does not break down and degrade quickly. It is eaten by animals and fish and ends up in our food chain.

Words

advise = to tell someone what they should do

aim = something you want to do

amount = how much of something

announce = to say officially, in public

beverage = hot or cold drink

campaign = series of actions you do to achieve something; movement

contribution = something that you give or do in order to be successful

corporation= large company with factories around the world

degrade = is a material that changes to a simpler form

environment = air, water and land that is around us

especially = above all

extend = make longer

fizzy drink = sweet, non-alcoholic drinks with bubbles of gas

food chain = when a smaller plant or animal is eaten by a larger one, which itself is eaten by something larger etc..

government = people who rule a country

increase = to make more

intend = plan

litter = waste that is thrown to the ground

major = very important

move = action, plan

packaging = container that a product is sold in; made out of plastic, aluminium or other material

recycle = to use something over and over again

reduce = lower

responsibility = something that you feel you must do because it is a good thing

shelf life= the length of time that a product, especially food, can be kept in a shop before it becomes too old to be sold

spoilt food = here: food that cannot be eaten anymore because it has already started to decay